Voluntary donations to the Treasury have fallen sharply in 2025, even as high profile members of the Patriotic Millionaires continue urging the government to impose a formal wealth tax on the very wealthy.
Their calls for a two percent annual levy on assets above ten million pounds have dominated parts of the political campaign landscape this year, despite little evidence that the same advocates are reaching for their own cheque books.
Figures released to Guido Fawkes through a Freedom of Information request show that from January to 13 November 2025, only 88,557.48 pounds was donated voluntarily to general public expenditure, spread across 45 contributors. If that trend continues, the final total for the year will reach roughly 101,966.81 pounds.
This represents a dramatic fall from 2024, when voluntary gifts reached 625,177.95 pounds from 27 donors, according to the same FOI data.
The decline is occurring in tandem with a heavily publicised national tour by the Patriotic Millionaires, whose bus proclaims “Tax us, the super rich. Proud to pay, here to stay.” Critics note that, while the slogan is eye catching, the actual donations being made by those calling for higher taxes appear more symbolic than substantial. Some campaign backers, who frequently present themselves as champions of fairness and generosity, have been accused of talking a louder game than they practice.
Entrepreneur Deborah Meaden, often cited as a supporter of the group’s proposals and estimated to hold around fifty million pounds in wealth, has been used by Guido’s analysis to illustrate the scale of the gap. Had she alone donated the entire projected 101,000 pounds total for 2025, the figure would represent about 0.204 percent of her net worth.
Patriotic Millionaires argues that its preferred tax measures could raise more than 52.1 billion pounds annually. In contrast, this year’s projected voluntary contributions amount to just 0.0001957 percent of that sum. The disparity has fuelled accusations that the campaign, despite its name, is less a coalition of affluent benefactors and more an activist project rooted in familiar left leaning networks, occasionally decorated with a wealthy supporter when convenient.
Sceptics of wealth taxes point out that similar policies overseas have often encouraged the richest individuals to relocate, reducing the expected revenue rather than increasing it. Supporters argue that only systemic reform can compel broader contribution from the wealthy, whereas voluntary donations can never substitute for legislative action.
HM Treasury accepts voluntary payments under long standing provisions, although it does not actively promote the practice.
Reporting based on data first obtained by Guido Fawkes’ FOI Unit, with credit to Guido for the figures.
